Third Generation
Family of Charlotte CHAMBERS (2) & Arthur Rhys THOMAS
6. Rachel THOMAS (Charlotte CHAMBERS2, William1). Born on 18 Apr 1869 in Leicester, England. Rachel died in Cardiff, Wales, UK, on 9 Mar 1871; she was 1.
- 1869 Birth registration: Births Jun 1869 (Q2)
THOMAS Rachel Leicester 7a 222
RESEARCH NOTES:
- sources vary on place of birth - Leicester or CARDIFF South Glamorgan Wales
- Family sources provide an exact date of death 9 Mar 1871; printing of birth date and death date on photocopied chart is unclear - unsure of the months - May or Mar for death?
she was not listed in the 1871 census, but an early 1871 would still work.
Possilbe death registrations :
- Deaths Mar 1871
Thomas Rachel 1 Cardiff 11a 193
(This is the only one for a child age 1, although others for infants age 0 but none in Leicester or Cardiff)
OR did she die in Swansea or other locations the year before?
- Deaths Mar 1870
Thomas Rachel 1 Swansea 11a 445
- Deaths Dec 1870
Thomas Rachel 1 Merthyr T. 11a 247
The district Merthyr T. is an alternative name for Merthyr Tydfil and it spans the boundaries of the counties of Breconshire, Glamorgan and Mid Glamorgan
- 1869 Birth registration: Births Jun 1869 (Q2)
THOMAS Rachel Leicester 7a 222
RESEARCH NOTES:
- sources vary on place of birth - Leicester or CARDIFF South Glamorgan Wales
- Family sources provide an exact date of death 9 Mar 1871; printing of birth date and death date on photocopied chart is unclear - unsure of the months - May or Mar for death?
she was not listed in the 1871 census, but an early 1871 would still work.
Possilbe death registrations :
- Deaths Mar 1871
Thomas Rachel 1 Cardiff 11a 193
(This is the only one for a child age 1, although others for infants age 0 but none in Leicester or Cardiff)
OR did she die in Swansea or other locations the year before?
- Deaths Mar 1870
Thomas Rachel 1 Swansea 11a 445
- Deaths Dec 1870
Thomas Rachel 1 Merthyr T. 11a 247
The district Merthyr T. is an alternative name for Merthyr Tydfil and it spans the boundaries of the counties of Breconshire, Glamorgan and Mid Glamorgan
7. Ivor John THOMAS (Charlotte CHAMBERS2, William1) 
. Born on 5 Feb 1871 in Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales, UK. Ivor John died in Victoria, BC, Canada, on 4 May 1946; he was 75. Occupation: Paymaster, Standard Oil.
- 1871 BIRTH: registration Births (Q1) Mar 1871
Thomas John Ivor Cardiff 11a 285
- 1871 Wales census, living at 46 Wood Street, St Mary Parish, Cardiff, Glamorgan
Name Age
Arthur R Thomas 32 - head, mar, 32, clothier, Glamorgan Swansea
Charlotte Thomas 25 - wife, mar, 25, Kent Ashford
John Thomas 8 Weeks - son, 8 weeks, Glamorgan Cardiff [definitely written as John, Ivor’s middle name]
- 1876 EARLY YEARS: Orphaned at age 5 when both his parents died of "galloping consumption" (severe lung pneumonia) - they were in their 30's.
- 1881 Census: 159 Great Holme Street, Leicester St Mary, Leicester, England, FHL Film 1341758, RG11, Piece/Folio 3176/80, Page 16:
William Chambers, Head, Married, M, 63, Paddington, Joiner
Phoebe Chambers, Wife, Married, F, 65, Leicester, England, -
Williams Chambers, Son, Unmar, M, 26, Ashford, Kent, England, Joiner
Mary A Chambers, Daur, Unmar, F, 29, Ashford, Kent, England, -
Joe J. Thomas, Grandson, -, M, 10, Cardiff, Scholar [believe this to be Ivor John - handwriting looks like Iva I, but “J”’s are written the same as “I”]
William Thomas, Grandson, -, M, 8, Leicester, England, Scholar [this would be Robert William]
RESIDENCES: perhaps born in Wales; then lived in Leicester England.
Sent to Westmont Quebec as a “home child” to live with a French Canadian family (not adopted). We have an old photo with the caption says that the boy in the back is Ivor John Thomas, home child living on “Maplewood Farm near French village Drummond County, Quebec, Canada.”
When 19 years old, Ivor worked his way across Canada by harvesting. Worked for a time in Victoria, BC as a gardener for Sir Frank Barnard [10th Lieutenant-Governor of BC] to earn passage to China. In China he worked in volunteer fire department and for Standard Oil Company. Later moved back to Canada and lived again in Victoria, BC.
WORK: Joined Standard Oil Company in China on day Agnes was born [1909], and retired 25 years later [1934?]. Promoted from chief accountant to manager, moving to a town near the Russian border [Dairen, Manchuria] in 1918 (1 year after Russian revolution). He later moved to Shangai.
[from another researcher: could have been Da Lian, or Dalian, big north-east port run by the Russians and then the Japanese in WWII. [[Yes, Dalian is the new name for Dairen]] It was much valued by the Russians as it was a port that didn't freeze for half the year (unlike Vladivostock). There would have been, indeed to this day there is, traffic between Shanghai and Dalian. 'Da Lian' is Chinese for big connection or crossing. 'Shang Hai' means 'on the sea'. ]. Dalian is the new name for Dairen, Manchuria.
- 1904 Shanghai China directory there are listings for several Thomas’s including:
[from http://www.bris.ac.uk/history/customs/ancestors/1904deskhonglist_3.pdf]
Thomas, I ………….. Fobes & Co
Thomas I H ………… ℅ Masonic Club
From the list on hongs (businesses):
Fobes & Co., Commission Merchants, 6, Ningpo Road, and Astor House. Associated individuals:
Fobes, A. S.
Thomas, I.
Landers, H.
Richards, L. B.
Hainsworth, A. H.
[Ortgies & Co. of New York published a catalog in 1893 for A S Fobes, Collector of fine porcelains of Shanghai - see worldcat]
- 1906, no longer listed with Fobes & Co. (although a C J White is now employed there], nor with Standard Oil of New York (pg 749/50). No general directory in this file.
- 1909, family stories say that Ivor started working for the Standard Oil Company in 1909. In a book published 1908 (Impressions of Shanghai etc.), a Mr. L I Thomas is listed as manager of the Amoy office of Standard Oil, but this was almost certainly a different person.
- 1916 Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935
Name: Ivor Thomas
Gender: Male
Age: 55
Estimated birth year: abt 1861
Birth Country: Wales
Date of Arrival: 3 Jun 1916
Vessel: Empress of Russia
Port of Arrival: Vancouver, British Columbia
Port of Departure: Hong Kong
Roll: T-4856
Page 10, Instructions to Pursers. 3 Thomas’s listed [likely not related]
11, 21, Thomas Ivor, 55, M, No (not been to Canada before!), No (remain), Yes (read & write), b Wales, Welsh, London (destination), English (province), None (occupation), C of E
12. 38. L. Victoria, Thomas Henry T, 38, M, No … b. England
13, 38, L. Victoria, Thomas Inc? Blanche, 24, M, No. … b. Japan
- 1919 Shanghai business directory, pg 726, there is Standard Oil Company of New York - 11 and 12 Canton Road, but Ivor Thomas NOT listed, probably because he was managing an office in Dairen at this time…
General Management: [NOT a complete list of personell]
W C Sprague, general lmanager
H J Everall, attorney
H T Hancock, attorney
E H Staber, attorney
H O Hashagen, attorney
S H Noxon, secretary to mgr.
http://www.bris.ac.uk/history/customs/ancestors/1919chroniclechina.pdf
- 1921 Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935
Name: Ivor Thomas
Gender: Male
Age: 50
Estimated birth year: abt 1871
Birth Country: Wales
Date of Arrival: 16 May 1921
Vessel: Empress of Russia
Port of Arrival: Vancouver, British Columbia
Port of Departure: Hong Kong
Roll: T-14870
Traveling with Lily Mary Thomas (40) and Arthur Evelyn Thomas (5) for 6 months visit to Kelowna / Salmon Arm BC.
- 1921 Census of Canada
Name: Ivor Thomas
Gender: Male
Marital Status: Married
Age: 50
Birth Year: abt 1871
Birth Place: Wales
Relation to Head of House: Head
Spouse's Name: Lily Thomas
Father Birth Place: Wales
Mother Birth Place: Wales
Year of Immigration: 1876
Racial or Tribal Origin: Welsh
Province or Territory: British Columbia
District: Cariboo
District Number: 14
Sub-District: Shuswap Lake
Sub-District Number: 7
City, Town or Village: Salmon Arm City
Street or Township: Shaw St
Occupation: Wholesale Merchant
Income: 600
Household Members:
Name Age
Ivor Thomas 50 - owns single Wood 4-room house, head, M, M, 50, Wales, parents Wales, immig 1876, Canada, Welsh, RC, wholesale merchant, Oil, $6000
Lily Thomas 43 - wife, F, M, 43, England, parents England, immig 1908, Canada, English, RC, none,
William Thomas 19, son, M, S, 19, China, parents Wales / England, immig 1908 nat, Canada, Welsh, RC, none
Arthur Thomas 5, son, M, S, 5, Manchuria, parents Wales / England, immig 1921 nat, Canada, Welsh, RC,
- 1927 U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989
Name: Ivor Thomas
Gender: Male
Residence Year: 1927
Street address: 2323 E Spring
Residence Place: Seattle, Washington
Spouse: Lily M Thomas
Publication Title: Seattle, Washington, City Directory, 1927
Thomas Ivor (Lily M) h2323 E Spring
- 1929 Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935
Name: Ivor Thomas
Gender: Male
Age: 58
Estimated birth year: abt 1871
Birth Country: Wales
Date of Arrival: 6 Apr 1929 [in Vancouver BC]
Vessel: Empress of Asia
Port of Arrival: Victoria, British Columbia
Port of Departure: Manila, Philippines - departed March 15th 1929
Roll: T-14893
Sheet No. 5, First Class
Victoria, Thomas Ivor, 58, M, born Wales Cardiff, Canada, Welsh, previously in Canada between 1876 to 1927 in British Columbia, speaks English, passage paid by Standard Co of New York, Oil merchant, intent to work at Farming, Destination & nearest relative: Wife Mrs. Ivor Thomas, 882 Dunsmuir Rd Victoria BC, passport 3012 Shanghai Feb 3/26, $25 in possession, landed Victoria
- 1930 Wrigley’s BC Directory for Victoria:
Thomas Ivor retired H 882 Dunsmuir
- 1933: When Ivor visited England in 1933 he put a stone on his mother’s grave in the Vicarage of Cheadle-Hume, Leicester County.
- 1935 BC and Yukon Directory for Victoria:
Thomas Ivor (Lily M) retired h 882 Dunsmuir
- 1940 BC and Yukon Directory for Victoria:
Thomas Ivor (Lily M) retired h 882 Dunsmuir
- 1941 BC and Yukon Directory for Victoria:
Thomas Ivor J (L Mary) retired h 2195 Beaver
- 1942 BC and Yukon Directory for Victoria:
Thomas Ivor J (Mary) retired h 2195 Beaver
- 1943 BC and Yukon Directory for Victoria:
Thomas Ivor J (Mary) retired h 2195 Beaver
- 1944 BC and Yukon Directory for Victoria:
Thomas Ivor J (Mary) retired h 2195 Beaver
- 1945 BC and Yukon Directory for Victoria:
Thomas Ivor (L Mary) retired h 1720 Davie
- 1946 BC and Yukon Directory for Victoria:
Thomas Ivor (L Mary) retired h 1720 Davie
- 1946 DEATH: registration from the online BC Archives Vital Events Index:
Vital Event Death Registration
Name: Ivor Thomas
Event Date: 1946 5 4 (Yr/Mo/Day)
Age: 76 - 76yr 2mo 29d, born Feb 5 1870
Gender: male
Event Place: Victoria -Royal Jubilee Hospital
Residence: 1720 Davie Street, Victoria BC
18 years in Victoria / BC / Canada
Occupation: Retired Paymaster. Standrd Oil. Last worked 1929, 30 yrs in occupation.
Spouse: Mary Youmans
Father: Thomas
Mother: Not known
Informant: Arthur E Thomas, son 4435 Slocan Street, Vancouver BC (signed 5 May 1946, Victoria BC)
Burial: cremation May 8 1946, Saanich BC.
Undertaker: McCall Brothers, 1400 Vancouver St, Victoria BC
COD: Cranial? Haemorhage (1 day), arterio sclerosis (5 yrs)
Physician: W A Grenholme, MD, Victoria BC
Reg. Number: 1946-09-007427
B.C. Archives Microfilm Number: B13190
GSU Microfilm Number: 2032422
- BURIAL: Ashes scattered in Goldstream park, Victoria, BC, Canada, perhaps near the falls.
- 3 old Chinese hand painted postcards exist (shared by Reg and Mary Thomas in England to his cousin Joyce Schoenecker (nee Thomas) in Victoria BC, probably about 1990. 2 of them at least were posted by Joyce’s father Ivor Thomas and contain his handwriting. The other was probably send by her Uncle Robert Thomas. [Transcribed by Joyce’s daughter-in-law]:
1) 1906 postcard - Addressed to Miss Alice Joyce, 48 Hinckley Rd, Leicester, England. [stamp removed]
[Note: Miss Alice Joyce was Ivor and Robert Thomas’s first cousin, daughter of their mother’s sister Sarah Chambers who married a Mr James Joyce]
On reverse, hand written: “Shanghai, 5-3-06”
[2 columns, each containing 4 chinese characters, and under this is written:]
“Dzing-nyoen te Soo-tsen
Nyung zing siang-mo.
?eh dzing-nyoen te -
Nyung - pok nyung -
kaung an no
RT” [RT is probably Robert Thomas, Ivor’s brother, who was probably in Shanghai in 1906; this looks to be a poem in Chinese - I might have misinterpretted some of the handwriting]
2) 1923 - Addressed to Mrs J Joyce, 13 Brenthurst Road, Willesden, N.W., London; Hong Kong postage stamp worth “four cents” intact; 2 postal cancellation stamps: Ju 8 Shanghai and Shanghai 3? Jun 23?
[Note: Mrs J Joyce probably refers to Mrs James Joyce who would be Sarah nee Chambers, sister of Charlotte Chambers who married Arthur Thomas - and therefore Ivor’s aunt]
On reverse, hand written : “Shanghai China. Chinese ladies in middle class. Chinese are particularly fond of flowers and birds.
“Will” got a nice p.c. from “Hilda” and has passed in on to Mary for her collection.
We are all well and hope you are the same.
Ivor”
Also, date added by a rubber hand stamp: “Jun 3 1904” [perhaps added later, and in error?]
3) 1926 - Addressed to Miss Hilda Mitchell, ℅ Miss Alice Joyce, 13 Brenthurst Road, Willesden, N.W., London; Hong Kong postage stamp worth “four cents” intact; postal cancellation stamp says Shanghai 24 Jul 26
[Note: Hilda MItchell was Alice Joyce’s niece]
On reverse, hand written : “Shanghai. I find out today that you are collecting postcards and send you this one from China.
This is Chinese music - cymbols - gong - and the volume of sound is possibly more noticable than the quality.
Ivor Thomas”
Also date added by a rubber hand stamp: “Jul 25 1904” [perhaps added later, and in error?]
- A 4th postcard image from Michael Taylor:
Addressed to:
Mrs J. Joyce, 13 Brenthurst Road, Willesden, London
On Reverse:
3 circular black and white photos of a Japanese woman: 1) covering her mouth, 2) covering her ears 3) covering her eyes
Message reads:
"This is a familiar picture met with all over Japan, and
is copied from a carving at a Shinto Temple in Nikko
The original carving has monkeys instead of
girls. Can you sen Mary a few colored
post cards. Love to all.
Ivor."
RESEARCH NOTES
- For old Shanghai photos see www.virtualshanghai.net
- We thought we had found Ivor on a passenger list to Quebec in 1878, but initials and age don't exactly match (listed as EJ or EI Thomas - difficult to read, age 9, traveling from Liverpool to Quebec arriving 8 Sep 1878, part of a Children's Party). But if he was still in England in 1881, this couldn't be him.
- We don't know when Ivor and Robert were sent to Canada, or by whom, but the story goes that they were separated and sent out separately as they became a suitable age.
- A relative, Hilda Mary (Mitchell) Taylor kept an address book. In it she says Ivor Thomas lived at 2195 Beaver Street, Victoria, at least in the 1940's. She noted Ivor's phone number as 'Empire 9609'.
The phone number obviously followed him when he moved from Dunsmuir to Beaver by 1941 [from city directories]:
In the 1940 Street Directory for Victoria: http://www.vpl.ca/bccd/index.php/browse/title/1940...irectory and found (in the street directory):
- BEAVER (Oak Bay) east from 772 Victoria:
2195 Beaver: *Greville-Jones E - G5636 (at the corner of Hampshire)
[* means that to the best of their knowledge, some member of the family owns the property.]
[this street name no longer exists in Oak Bay; now seems to be called "Beaverbrooke St"]
- DUNSMUIR (Esqt) southwest from 804 Esquimalt
882 *Thomas I - E9609
Ivor lived at 2195 Beaver Street for only 4 years: 1941-1944. This address did not exist in 1938 (obviously an area of new construction), and in 1939 it was occupied by E Jones, and in 1940 by E Greville-Jones. Prior to 1941, Ivor lived at 882 Dunsmuir in Esquimalt; in 1938 his phone number was E3176, but in 1939 it changed to E9609 even though he was in the same house on Dunsmuir, so don't know why this happened. In 1945 he was living at 1720 Davie with the same phone number E9609.
. Born on 5 Feb 1871 in Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales, UK. Ivor John died in Victoria, BC, Canada, on 4 May 1946; he was 75. Occupation: Paymaster, Standard Oil.- 1871 BIRTH: registration Births (Q1) Mar 1871
Thomas John Ivor Cardiff 11a 285
- 1871 Wales census, living at 46 Wood Street, St Mary Parish, Cardiff, Glamorgan
Name Age
Arthur R Thomas 32 - head, mar, 32, clothier, Glamorgan Swansea
Charlotte Thomas 25 - wife, mar, 25, Kent Ashford
John Thomas 8 Weeks - son, 8 weeks, Glamorgan Cardiff [definitely written as John, Ivor’s middle name]
- 1876 EARLY YEARS: Orphaned at age 5 when both his parents died of "galloping consumption" (severe lung pneumonia) - they were in their 30's.
- 1881 Census: 159 Great Holme Street, Leicester St Mary, Leicester, England, FHL Film 1341758, RG11, Piece/Folio 3176/80, Page 16:
William Chambers, Head, Married, M, 63, Paddington, Joiner
Phoebe Chambers, Wife, Married, F, 65, Leicester, England, -
Williams Chambers, Son, Unmar, M, 26, Ashford, Kent, England, Joiner
Mary A Chambers, Daur, Unmar, F, 29, Ashford, Kent, England, -
Joe J. Thomas, Grandson, -, M, 10, Cardiff, Scholar [believe this to be Ivor John - handwriting looks like Iva I, but “J”’s are written the same as “I”]
William Thomas, Grandson, -, M, 8, Leicester, England, Scholar [this would be Robert William]
RESIDENCES: perhaps born in Wales; then lived in Leicester England.
Sent to Westmont Quebec as a “home child” to live with a French Canadian family (not adopted). We have an old photo with the caption says that the boy in the back is Ivor John Thomas, home child living on “Maplewood Farm near French village Drummond County, Quebec, Canada.”
When 19 years old, Ivor worked his way across Canada by harvesting. Worked for a time in Victoria, BC as a gardener for Sir Frank Barnard [10th Lieutenant-Governor of BC] to earn passage to China. In China he worked in volunteer fire department and for Standard Oil Company. Later moved back to Canada and lived again in Victoria, BC.
WORK: Joined Standard Oil Company in China on day Agnes was born [1909], and retired 25 years later [1934?]. Promoted from chief accountant to manager, moving to a town near the Russian border [Dairen, Manchuria] in 1918 (1 year after Russian revolution). He later moved to Shangai.
[from another researcher: could have been Da Lian, or Dalian, big north-east port run by the Russians and then the Japanese in WWII. [[Yes, Dalian is the new name for Dairen]] It was much valued by the Russians as it was a port that didn't freeze for half the year (unlike Vladivostock). There would have been, indeed to this day there is, traffic between Shanghai and Dalian. 'Da Lian' is Chinese for big connection or crossing. 'Shang Hai' means 'on the sea'. ]. Dalian is the new name for Dairen, Manchuria.
- 1904 Shanghai China directory there are listings for several Thomas’s including:
[from http://www.bris.ac.uk/history/customs/ancestors/1904deskhonglist_3.pdf]
Thomas, I ………….. Fobes & Co
Thomas I H ………… ℅ Masonic Club
From the list on hongs (businesses):
Fobes & Co., Commission Merchants, 6, Ningpo Road, and Astor House. Associated individuals:
Fobes, A. S.
Thomas, I.
Landers, H.
Richards, L. B.
Hainsworth, A. H.
[Ortgies & Co. of New York published a catalog in 1893 for A S Fobes, Collector of fine porcelains of Shanghai - see worldcat]
- 1906, no longer listed with Fobes & Co. (although a C J White is now employed there], nor with Standard Oil of New York (pg 749/50). No general directory in this file.
- 1909, family stories say that Ivor started working for the Standard Oil Company in 1909. In a book published 1908 (Impressions of Shanghai etc.), a Mr. L I Thomas is listed as manager of the Amoy office of Standard Oil, but this was almost certainly a different person.
- 1916 Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935
Name: Ivor Thomas
Gender: Male
Age: 55
Estimated birth year: abt 1861
Birth Country: Wales
Date of Arrival: 3 Jun 1916
Vessel: Empress of Russia
Port of Arrival: Vancouver, British Columbia
Port of Departure: Hong Kong
Roll: T-4856
Page 10, Instructions to Pursers. 3 Thomas’s listed [likely not related]
11, 21, Thomas Ivor, 55, M, No (not been to Canada before!), No (remain), Yes (read & write), b Wales, Welsh, London (destination), English (province), None (occupation), C of E
12. 38. L. Victoria, Thomas Henry T, 38, M, No … b. England
13, 38, L. Victoria, Thomas Inc? Blanche, 24, M, No. … b. Japan
- 1919 Shanghai business directory, pg 726, there is Standard Oil Company of New York - 11 and 12 Canton Road, but Ivor Thomas NOT listed, probably because he was managing an office in Dairen at this time…
General Management: [NOT a complete list of personell]
W C Sprague, general lmanager
H J Everall, attorney
H T Hancock, attorney
E H Staber, attorney
H O Hashagen, attorney
S H Noxon, secretary to mgr.
http://www.bris.ac.uk/history/customs/ancestors/1919chroniclechina.pdf
- 1921 Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935
Name: Ivor Thomas
Gender: Male
Age: 50
Estimated birth year: abt 1871
Birth Country: Wales
Date of Arrival: 16 May 1921
Vessel: Empress of Russia
Port of Arrival: Vancouver, British Columbia
Port of Departure: Hong Kong
Roll: T-14870
Traveling with Lily Mary Thomas (40) and Arthur Evelyn Thomas (5) for 6 months visit to Kelowna / Salmon Arm BC.
- 1921 Census of Canada
Name: Ivor Thomas
Gender: Male
Marital Status: Married
Age: 50
Birth Year: abt 1871
Birth Place: Wales
Relation to Head of House: Head
Spouse's Name: Lily Thomas
Father Birth Place: Wales
Mother Birth Place: Wales
Year of Immigration: 1876
Racial or Tribal Origin: Welsh
Province or Territory: British Columbia
District: Cariboo
District Number: 14
Sub-District: Shuswap Lake
Sub-District Number: 7
City, Town or Village: Salmon Arm City
Street or Township: Shaw St
Occupation: Wholesale Merchant
Income: 600
Household Members:
Name Age
Ivor Thomas 50 - owns single Wood 4-room house, head, M, M, 50, Wales, parents Wales, immig 1876, Canada, Welsh, RC, wholesale merchant, Oil, $6000
Lily Thomas 43 - wife, F, M, 43, England, parents England, immig 1908, Canada, English, RC, none,
William Thomas 19, son, M, S, 19, China, parents Wales / England, immig 1908 nat, Canada, Welsh, RC, none
Arthur Thomas 5, son, M, S, 5, Manchuria, parents Wales / England, immig 1921 nat, Canada, Welsh, RC,
- 1927 U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989
Name: Ivor Thomas
Gender: Male
Residence Year: 1927
Street address: 2323 E Spring
Residence Place: Seattle, Washington
Spouse: Lily M Thomas
Publication Title: Seattle, Washington, City Directory, 1927
Thomas Ivor (Lily M) h2323 E Spring
- 1929 Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935
Name: Ivor Thomas
Gender: Male
Age: 58
Estimated birth year: abt 1871
Birth Country: Wales
Date of Arrival: 6 Apr 1929 [in Vancouver BC]
Vessel: Empress of Asia
Port of Arrival: Victoria, British Columbia
Port of Departure: Manila, Philippines - departed March 15th 1929
Roll: T-14893
Sheet No. 5, First Class
Victoria, Thomas Ivor, 58, M, born Wales Cardiff, Canada, Welsh, previously in Canada between 1876 to 1927 in British Columbia, speaks English, passage paid by Standard Co of New York, Oil merchant, intent to work at Farming, Destination & nearest relative: Wife Mrs. Ivor Thomas, 882 Dunsmuir Rd Victoria BC, passport 3012 Shanghai Feb 3/26, $25 in possession, landed Victoria
- 1930 Wrigley’s BC Directory for Victoria:
Thomas Ivor retired H 882 Dunsmuir
- 1933: When Ivor visited England in 1933 he put a stone on his mother’s grave in the Vicarage of Cheadle-Hume, Leicester County.
- 1935 BC and Yukon Directory for Victoria:
Thomas Ivor (Lily M) retired h 882 Dunsmuir
- 1940 BC and Yukon Directory for Victoria:
Thomas Ivor (Lily M) retired h 882 Dunsmuir
- 1941 BC and Yukon Directory for Victoria:
Thomas Ivor J (L Mary) retired h 2195 Beaver
- 1942 BC and Yukon Directory for Victoria:
Thomas Ivor J (Mary) retired h 2195 Beaver
- 1943 BC and Yukon Directory for Victoria:
Thomas Ivor J (Mary) retired h 2195 Beaver
- 1944 BC and Yukon Directory for Victoria:
Thomas Ivor J (Mary) retired h 2195 Beaver
- 1945 BC and Yukon Directory for Victoria:
Thomas Ivor (L Mary) retired h 1720 Davie
- 1946 BC and Yukon Directory for Victoria:
Thomas Ivor (L Mary) retired h 1720 Davie
- 1946 DEATH: registration from the online BC Archives Vital Events Index:
Vital Event Death Registration
Name: Ivor Thomas
Event Date: 1946 5 4 (Yr/Mo/Day)
Age: 76 - 76yr 2mo 29d, born Feb 5 1870
Gender: male
Event Place: Victoria -Royal Jubilee Hospital
Residence: 1720 Davie Street, Victoria BC
18 years in Victoria / BC / Canada
Occupation: Retired Paymaster. Standrd Oil. Last worked 1929, 30 yrs in occupation.
Spouse: Mary Youmans
Father: Thomas
Mother: Not known
Informant: Arthur E Thomas, son 4435 Slocan Street, Vancouver BC (signed 5 May 1946, Victoria BC)
Burial: cremation May 8 1946, Saanich BC.
Undertaker: McCall Brothers, 1400 Vancouver St, Victoria BC
COD: Cranial? Haemorhage (1 day), arterio sclerosis (5 yrs)
Physician: W A Grenholme, MD, Victoria BC
Reg. Number: 1946-09-007427
B.C. Archives Microfilm Number: B13190
GSU Microfilm Number: 2032422
- BURIAL: Ashes scattered in Goldstream park, Victoria, BC, Canada, perhaps near the falls.
- 3 old Chinese hand painted postcards exist (shared by Reg and Mary Thomas in England to his cousin Joyce Schoenecker (nee Thomas) in Victoria BC, probably about 1990. 2 of them at least were posted by Joyce’s father Ivor Thomas and contain his handwriting. The other was probably send by her Uncle Robert Thomas. [Transcribed by Joyce’s daughter-in-law]:
1) 1906 postcard - Addressed to Miss Alice Joyce, 48 Hinckley Rd, Leicester, England. [stamp removed]
[Note: Miss Alice Joyce was Ivor and Robert Thomas’s first cousin, daughter of their mother’s sister Sarah Chambers who married a Mr James Joyce]
On reverse, hand written: “Shanghai, 5-3-06”
[2 columns, each containing 4 chinese characters, and under this is written:]
“Dzing-nyoen te Soo-tsen
Nyung zing siang-mo.
?eh dzing-nyoen te -
Nyung - pok nyung -
kaung an no
RT” [RT is probably Robert Thomas, Ivor’s brother, who was probably in Shanghai in 1906; this looks to be a poem in Chinese - I might have misinterpretted some of the handwriting]
2) 1923 - Addressed to Mrs J Joyce, 13 Brenthurst Road, Willesden, N.W., London; Hong Kong postage stamp worth “four cents” intact; 2 postal cancellation stamps: Ju 8 Shanghai and Shanghai 3? Jun 23?
[Note: Mrs J Joyce probably refers to Mrs James Joyce who would be Sarah nee Chambers, sister of Charlotte Chambers who married Arthur Thomas - and therefore Ivor’s aunt]
On reverse, hand written : “Shanghai China. Chinese ladies in middle class. Chinese are particularly fond of flowers and birds.
“Will” got a nice p.c. from “Hilda” and has passed in on to Mary for her collection.
We are all well and hope you are the same.
Ivor”
Also, date added by a rubber hand stamp: “Jun 3 1904” [perhaps added later, and in error?]
3) 1926 - Addressed to Miss Hilda Mitchell, ℅ Miss Alice Joyce, 13 Brenthurst Road, Willesden, N.W., London; Hong Kong postage stamp worth “four cents” intact; postal cancellation stamp says Shanghai 24 Jul 26
[Note: Hilda MItchell was Alice Joyce’s niece]
On reverse, hand written : “Shanghai. I find out today that you are collecting postcards and send you this one from China.
This is Chinese music - cymbols - gong - and the volume of sound is possibly more noticable than the quality.
Ivor Thomas”
Also date added by a rubber hand stamp: “Jul 25 1904” [perhaps added later, and in error?]
- A 4th postcard image from Michael Taylor:
Addressed to:
Mrs J. Joyce, 13 Brenthurst Road, Willesden, London
On Reverse:
3 circular black and white photos of a Japanese woman: 1) covering her mouth, 2) covering her ears 3) covering her eyes
Message reads:
"This is a familiar picture met with all over Japan, and
is copied from a carving at a Shinto Temple in Nikko
The original carving has monkeys instead of
girls. Can you sen Mary a few colored
post cards. Love to all.
Ivor."
RESEARCH NOTES
- For old Shanghai photos see www.virtualshanghai.net
- We thought we had found Ivor on a passenger list to Quebec in 1878, but initials and age don't exactly match (listed as EJ or EI Thomas - difficult to read, age 9, traveling from Liverpool to Quebec arriving 8 Sep 1878, part of a Children's Party). But if he was still in England in 1881, this couldn't be him.
- We don't know when Ivor and Robert were sent to Canada, or by whom, but the story goes that they were separated and sent out separately as they became a suitable age.
- A relative, Hilda Mary (Mitchell) Taylor kept an address book. In it she says Ivor Thomas lived at 2195 Beaver Street, Victoria, at least in the 1940's. She noted Ivor's phone number as 'Empire 9609'.
The phone number obviously followed him when he moved from Dunsmuir to Beaver by 1941 [from city directories]:
In the 1940 Street Directory for Victoria: http://www.vpl.ca/bccd/index.php/browse/title/1940...irectory and found (in the street directory):
- BEAVER (Oak Bay) east from 772 Victoria:
2195 Beaver: *Greville-Jones E - G5636 (at the corner of Hampshire)
[* means that to the best of their knowledge, some member of the family owns the property.]
[this street name no longer exists in Oak Bay; now seems to be called "Beaverbrooke St"]
- DUNSMUIR (Esqt) southwest from 804 Esquimalt
882 *Thomas I - E9609
Ivor lived at 2195 Beaver Street for only 4 years: 1941-1944. This address did not exist in 1938 (obviously an area of new construction), and in 1939 it was occupied by E Jones, and in 1940 by E Greville-Jones. Prior to 1941, Ivor lived at 882 Dunsmuir in Esquimalt; in 1938 his phone number was E3176, but in 1939 it changed to E9609 even though he was in the same house on Dunsmuir, so don't know why this happened. In 1945 he was living at 1720 Davie with the same phone number E9609.
On 3 Sep 1898 when Ivor John was 27, he married Lily Mary YEOMANS in St Josephs, Shanghai, China. Born abt 20 Feb 1880 in England. Lily Mary died in Victoria, BC, Canada, on 16 Jan 1954; she was 73. Buried on 20 Jan 1954 in Royal Oak Cemetary, Victoria, BC, Canada.
- 1918 Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935
Name: Lily Mary Thomas
Gender: Female
Age: 40
Estimated birth year: abt 1878
Birth Country: England
Date of Arrival: 29 Apr 1918
Vessel: Empress of Asia
Port of Arrival: Vancouver, British Columbia
Port of Departure: Hong Kong
Roll: T-4858
Page No. 29, Instructions to Pursers. Traveling 2nd class (no other Thomas’s listed on page):
11. Shai, Thomas Lily Mary, 40, M, Yes (been to Canada before), 1898, BC, 10 Mos., No (permanent stay), Yes (read & write), England (birth), English, Kelowna BC, None (occupation), Tourist, No (farm related), c?/o R W Thomas Kelowna $400.00, Returning in Sep, Roman Catholic,
[she was the last person on this list; the person before her was A Marie, Roberts, 59 widow, also from Shanghai]
NOTE: the same list / image is also indexed as departing Yokohama Japan and arriving Victoria BC 29 Apr 1918. As there are passengers from various oriental locations, perhaps there were several ports of call at both ends of the journey: Yokohama, Hong Kong, even Shanghai? and perhaps both Victoria and Vancouver BC?
- 1921 Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935 about Lily Mary Thomas
Name: Lily Mary Thomas
Gender: Female
Age: 40
Estimated birth year: abt 1881
Birth Country: England
Date of Arrival: 16 May 1921
Vessel: Empress of Russia
Port of Arrival: Vancouver, British Columbia
Port of Departure: Hong Kong
Roll: T-14870
Page No. 10, for “Saloon” passengers:
Shg, 7, 32952 (ticket), Thomas Ivor M, 50, M, Y (been to Canada before), Kelowna BC, yes (reside permanently), Y (read & write), born Wales, Welsh Canada, Kelowna BC, merchant, six months visit to Salmon Arm BC, transit, protestant, CPR
Shg, 8, 32952 (ticket), Thomas, Lily Mary, F, 40, M, Y (been to Canada before), Kelowna BC, yes(reside permanently), Y (read & write), born England, Welsh Canada, Kelowna BC,
Shg, 9, 32952 (ticket), Thomas Arthur Evelyn, M, 5, S, Y (been to Canada before), Kelowna BC, yes(reside permanently), Y (read & write), born Manchuria,
[another Thomas family was also traveling from Shanghai to Vancouver, heading for Massachusetts - pretty sure they’re not related]
NOTE: the same list / image is also indexed as departing Yokohama Japan and arriving Victoria BC 29 Apr 1918. As there are passengers from various oriental locations, perhaps there were several ports of call at both ends of the journey: Yokohama, Hong Kong, even Shanghai? and perhaps both Victoria and Vancouver BC?
- 1926 Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935
Name: Lily Mary Thomas
Gender: Female
Age: 44
Estimated birth year: abt 1882
Birth Country: England
Date of Arrival: 20 Sep 1926
Vessel: Empress of Canada
Port of Arrival: Victoria, British Columbia
Port of Departure: Hong Kong
Roll: T-14885
Sheet No 4, Canadian Government Return, Canadian Immigration Service (2 pages in 1 image)
1926? passenger list (from images, fuzzy typing):
- page 1: “Canadian Government Return”, Sheet 4, First Class aboard the S S Empress of Canada, Sailing from Hong Kong on September 3rd?, 1926?, passage paid for by Husband’s employer, all British, all in Canada before in transit:
> Thomas Lily Mary, -, 44, M, born England London
> Thomas Gertrude Gladys, daughter, 15, U, born China Shanghai
> Thomas Arthur ???yn [Emlyn?], son, 10, U, born Manchuria Dairen
> Thomas Lillian Joyce, daughter, 8, U, born Canada Kelowna BC
AND
- Page 2 (continued on a facing page, names not repeated)
Canadian Immigration Service Sheet 4 first class, Vol 7, page 84, arriving at Victoria BC Sept 20th 19?? [typing VERY fuzzy]
> Wife, None (occupation), destination: Sister-in-law Mrs. R W Thomas Kelowna BC, nearest relative Husband, Mr Ivor Thomas, 44 ??? Arrival ?????, Shanghai; [can’t read most of passport details, Lily’s as wife, 3 children’s passports issued in Shanghai], money $500, traveling inland by CPR
> Student, Father, …. no money
> Student, Father, …. no money
> Student, Father, …. no money
- 1954 DEATH: Vital Event Death Registration
Name: Lily Mary Thomas
Event Date: 1954 1 16 (Yr/Mo/Day)
Age: 73
Gender: female
Event Place: Victoria
Reg. Number: 1954-09-001515
B.C. Archives Microfilm Number: B13218
GSU Microfilm Number: 2032872
- 1954 BURIAL: Buried at Royal Oak Cemetary, Victoria, BC
buried Jan 20, 1954, Plot J-8-31 - Lily Mary Thomas
Lily M Thomas, died 1/16/54, section J 008, 31. Note: Mary
The small concrete gravestone had disappeared beneath the ground; sometime about 2005 Terry had them lift it up to ground level. Photo taken 2015, not all text readable.
From family sources:
- BIRTH: Orphaned or left without parents in England. Names of her natural parents not known. She was always unsure about the accurate date of her birth and her age, but celebrated her birthday on Feb 20. 1880.
- ADOPTION: When about 3 years old she was adopted by Mr. and Mary Yoemens (alternate spelling Yeomans) from America and moved to Shanghai, China. They both died when she was 9 years old.
From her daughter Joyce’s memoires: “My mother had been orphand in Shanghai, and as there were no living relatives to care for her, she was brought up by nuns [ in the French Franciscan convent]. It was a very sad time for her bcause to be a white girl in China without family, she was put in with the boarders and day scholars of white parents, and most from well-to-do homes. The only orphans looked after by the nuns were mostly Urasians, half Chinese and half white, and probably abandoned as babies. At holiday time, my mother had no one to see that she received gifts [from] or any special treats. The nuns were not inclined to kindness unnecessarily, believing that our hardships were because of some evil we possessed. I remember falling down in the schoolyard one day [Joyce also attended the school in this convent] and being told that God had punished me.”
- SCHOOL: St Josephs, a French Catholic convent in Shanghai.
The convent was run by Franciscan nuns from France
- WORK: taught English to children in French Consulate in Shanghai.
- FAMILY: of 13 pregnancies, only 5 reached full term [from her daughter - family aural history].
Another researcher lists 11 children [contains duplications]:
son Thomas: 12 Jul 1899 Shanghai - 1899 Shanghai
William Thomas: c1900 Shanghai - no date
William Harvey Ivor Thomas: 5 Feb 1902 Shanghai China - no date
George Rhys Thomas: 13 Sep 1905 Shanghai China - 1906 Shanghai
Agnes Thomas: 29 Mar 1909 Shanghai - no date - Sent back from Victoria, Canada in 1933 to China
Mary Agnes Thomas: 23 Mar 1909 Shanghai - no date [the two Agnes’s are probably the same person; Agnes was born 29 Mar 1909 Shanghai, died 1998 Victoria BC Canada]
Gladys Thomas: c1911 Shanghai - Survived to adulthood in Canada
Gertrude Gwladys Thomas: 12 Jun 1911 Shanghai China - no date
Arthur Thomas: c1913 Shanghai - no date
Arthur Galyn Thomas: 13 Dec 1915, Darien, Manchuria - no date
Lillian Joyce* Thomas: 22 Jun 1918, Kelowna Canada - 2006
RESEARCH NOTES
Regarding her adoptive parents Mr and Mary Yeomans, could this be them in Tientsin? They could have moved to Shanghai later ????...
- In both the 1882 and 1884 “Hong Lists” for Shanghai and Northern Ports of China:
Who’s Who (Residents List):
Yeomans, H. ………… Constable, Br. Consulate, Tientsin
In the Ladies’List:
Yeomans, Mrs. ……….. Tientsin
Early passenger list searches:
- UK incoming - no Yeomans listed prior to 1899 on ancestry (parents died before then). When spelled Yeoman, listings start 1891 (probably still too late to be a match). - no uk passenger lists for the 1880s.
- Departing China passenger lists don’t seem to be available online
- familysearch has images of Chinese cemetery records (1820-1983) OR 1896-1983? BUT are written in Chinese and include only Taiwan and Xianggang (Hong Kong) provinces.
- newspaperarchive.com has archived copies of the North China Herald of Shanghai (1850-1926) - subscription required.
Is this the right church where she lived, attended school and was married (don’t know if this was run by Franciscan nuns) - this one is still standing as of 2013 ...
- St Joseph’s Church, Shanghai
http://www.virtualshanghai.net/Data/Buildings?ID=13
Building ID 13
Name St. Joseph Church [photo]
Chinese Name 天主堂
Address 36 RUE MONTAUBAN
Date Construction 1861
Main Type Religious facility
Sub Type Church TYP04 Religious TYP07 Catholic
Pos X 355734.7322
Pos Y 3456373.8351
ALSO
Building ID 14
Name Leisi Primary School [no photo]
Chinese Name 私立類思小學
Address 36 RUE MONTAUBAN
Main Type Educational facility
Sub Type School
Sub Type Private
TYP04 Secular
TYP05 Primary
Pos X 355782.1623
Pos Y 3456407.8782
AND next door:
Building ID 15
Name Shenmuyuan Orphanage
Chinese Name 聖母院 - 拯亡會
Address 37 RUE MONTAUBAN
Date Construction 1871
Main Type Institutional site
Sub Type Welfare facility
Sub Type Orphanage
TYP04 Religious
TYP07 Catholic
Pos X 355854.0908
Pos Y 3456380.0639
in St Josephs, Shanghai, China. Born abt 20 Feb 1880 in England. Lily Mary died in Victoria, BC, Canada, on 16 Jan 1954; she was 73. Buried on 20 Jan 1954 in Royal Oak Cemetary, Victoria, BC, Canada.- 1918 Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935
Name: Lily Mary Thomas
Gender: Female
Age: 40
Estimated birth year: abt 1878
Birth Country: England
Date of Arrival: 29 Apr 1918
Vessel: Empress of Asia
Port of Arrival: Vancouver, British Columbia
Port of Departure: Hong Kong
Roll: T-4858
Page No. 29, Instructions to Pursers. Traveling 2nd class (no other Thomas’s listed on page):
11. Shai, Thomas Lily Mary, 40, M, Yes (been to Canada before), 1898, BC, 10 Mos., No (permanent stay), Yes (read & write), England (birth), English, Kelowna BC, None (occupation), Tourist, No (farm related), c?/o R W Thomas Kelowna $400.00, Returning in Sep, Roman Catholic,
[she was the last person on this list; the person before her was A Marie, Roberts, 59 widow, also from Shanghai]
NOTE: the same list / image is also indexed as departing Yokohama Japan and arriving Victoria BC 29 Apr 1918. As there are passengers from various oriental locations, perhaps there were several ports of call at both ends of the journey: Yokohama, Hong Kong, even Shanghai? and perhaps both Victoria and Vancouver BC?
- 1921 Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935 about Lily Mary Thomas
Name: Lily Mary Thomas
Gender: Female
Age: 40
Estimated birth year: abt 1881
Birth Country: England
Date of Arrival: 16 May 1921
Vessel: Empress of Russia
Port of Arrival: Vancouver, British Columbia
Port of Departure: Hong Kong
Roll: T-14870
Page No. 10, for “Saloon” passengers:
Shg, 7, 32952 (ticket), Thomas Ivor M, 50, M, Y (been to Canada before), Kelowna BC, yes (reside permanently), Y (read & write), born Wales, Welsh Canada, Kelowna BC, merchant, six months visit to Salmon Arm BC, transit, protestant, CPR
Shg, 8, 32952 (ticket), Thomas, Lily Mary, F, 40, M, Y (been to Canada before), Kelowna BC, yes(reside permanently), Y (read & write), born England, Welsh Canada, Kelowna BC,
Shg, 9, 32952 (ticket), Thomas Arthur Evelyn, M, 5, S, Y (been to Canada before), Kelowna BC, yes(reside permanently), Y (read & write), born Manchuria,
[another Thomas family was also traveling from Shanghai to Vancouver, heading for Massachusetts - pretty sure they’re not related]
NOTE: the same list / image is also indexed as departing Yokohama Japan and arriving Victoria BC 29 Apr 1918. As there are passengers from various oriental locations, perhaps there were several ports of call at both ends of the journey: Yokohama, Hong Kong, even Shanghai? and perhaps both Victoria and Vancouver BC?
- 1926 Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935
Name: Lily Mary Thomas
Gender: Female
Age: 44
Estimated birth year: abt 1882
Birth Country: England
Date of Arrival: 20 Sep 1926
Vessel: Empress of Canada
Port of Arrival: Victoria, British Columbia
Port of Departure: Hong Kong
Roll: T-14885
Sheet No 4, Canadian Government Return, Canadian Immigration Service (2 pages in 1 image)
1926? passenger list (from images, fuzzy typing):
- page 1: “Canadian Government Return”, Sheet 4, First Class aboard the S S Empress of Canada, Sailing from Hong Kong on September 3rd?, 1926?, passage paid for by Husband’s employer, all British, all in Canada before in transit:
> Thomas Lily Mary, -, 44, M, born England London
> Thomas Gertrude Gladys, daughter, 15, U, born China Shanghai
> Thomas Arthur ???yn [Emlyn?], son, 10, U, born Manchuria Dairen
> Thomas Lillian Joyce, daughter, 8, U, born Canada Kelowna BC
AND
- Page 2 (continued on a facing page, names not repeated)
Canadian Immigration Service Sheet 4 first class, Vol 7, page 84, arriving at Victoria BC Sept 20th 19?? [typing VERY fuzzy]
> Wife, None (occupation), destination: Sister-in-law Mrs. R W Thomas Kelowna BC, nearest relative Husband, Mr Ivor Thomas, 44 ??? Arrival ?????, Shanghai; [can’t read most of passport details, Lily’s as wife, 3 children’s passports issued in Shanghai], money $500, traveling inland by CPR
> Student, Father, …. no money
> Student, Father, …. no money
> Student, Father, …. no money
- 1954 DEATH: Vital Event Death Registration
Name: Lily Mary Thomas
Event Date: 1954 1 16 (Yr/Mo/Day)
Age: 73
Gender: female
Event Place: Victoria
Reg. Number: 1954-09-001515
B.C. Archives Microfilm Number: B13218
GSU Microfilm Number: 2032872
- 1954 BURIAL: Buried at Royal Oak Cemetary, Victoria, BC
buried Jan 20, 1954, Plot J-8-31 - Lily Mary Thomas
Lily M Thomas, died 1/16/54, section J 008, 31. Note: Mary
The small concrete gravestone had disappeared beneath the ground; sometime about 2005 Terry had them lift it up to ground level. Photo taken 2015, not all text readable.
From family sources:
- BIRTH: Orphaned or left without parents in England. Names of her natural parents not known. She was always unsure about the accurate date of her birth and her age, but celebrated her birthday on Feb 20. 1880.
- ADOPTION: When about 3 years old she was adopted by Mr. and Mary Yoemens (alternate spelling Yeomans) from America and moved to Shanghai, China. They both died when she was 9 years old.
From her daughter Joyce’s memoires: “My mother had been orphand in Shanghai, and as there were no living relatives to care for her, she was brought up by nuns [ in the French Franciscan convent]. It was a very sad time for her bcause to be a white girl in China without family, she was put in with the boarders and day scholars of white parents, and most from well-to-do homes. The only orphans looked after by the nuns were mostly Urasians, half Chinese and half white, and probably abandoned as babies. At holiday time, my mother had no one to see that she received gifts [from] or any special treats. The nuns were not inclined to kindness unnecessarily, believing that our hardships were because of some evil we possessed. I remember falling down in the schoolyard one day [Joyce also attended the school in this convent] and being told that God had punished me.”
- SCHOOL: St Josephs, a French Catholic convent in Shanghai.
The convent was run by Franciscan nuns from France
- WORK: taught English to children in French Consulate in Shanghai.
- FAMILY: of 13 pregnancies, only 5 reached full term [from her daughter - family aural history].
Another researcher lists 11 children [contains duplications]:
son Thomas: 12 Jul 1899 Shanghai - 1899 Shanghai
William Thomas: c1900 Shanghai - no date
William Harvey Ivor Thomas: 5 Feb 1902 Shanghai China - no date
George Rhys Thomas: 13 Sep 1905 Shanghai China - 1906 Shanghai
Agnes Thomas: 29 Mar 1909 Shanghai - no date - Sent back from Victoria, Canada in 1933 to China
Mary Agnes Thomas: 23 Mar 1909 Shanghai - no date [the two Agnes’s are probably the same person; Agnes was born 29 Mar 1909 Shanghai, died 1998 Victoria BC Canada]
Gladys Thomas: c1911 Shanghai - Survived to adulthood in Canada
Gertrude Gwladys Thomas: 12 Jun 1911 Shanghai China - no date
Arthur Thomas: c1913 Shanghai - no date
Arthur Galyn Thomas: 13 Dec 1915, Darien, Manchuria - no date
Lillian Joyce* Thomas: 22 Jun 1918, Kelowna Canada - 2006
RESEARCH NOTES
Regarding her adoptive parents Mr and Mary Yeomans, could this be them in Tientsin? They could have moved to Shanghai later ????...
- In both the 1882 and 1884 “Hong Lists” for Shanghai and Northern Ports of China:
Who’s Who (Residents List):
Yeomans, H. ………… Constable, Br. Consulate, Tientsin
In the Ladies’List:
Yeomans, Mrs. ……….. Tientsin
Early passenger list searches:
- UK incoming - no Yeomans listed prior to 1899 on ancestry (parents died before then). When spelled Yeoman, listings start 1891 (probably still too late to be a match). - no uk passenger lists for the 1880s.
- Departing China passenger lists don’t seem to be available online
- familysearch has images of Chinese cemetery records (1820-1983) OR 1896-1983? BUT are written in Chinese and include only Taiwan and Xianggang (Hong Kong) provinces.
- newspaperarchive.com has archived copies of the North China Herald of Shanghai (1850-1926) - subscription required.
Is this the right church where she lived, attended school and was married (don’t know if this was run by Franciscan nuns) - this one is still standing as of 2013 ...
- St Joseph’s Church, Shanghai
http://www.virtualshanghai.net/Data/Buildings?ID=13
Building ID 13
Name St. Joseph Church [photo]
Chinese Name 天主堂
Address 36 RUE MONTAUBAN
Date Construction 1861
Main Type Religious facility
Sub Type Church TYP04 Religious TYP07 Catholic
Pos X 355734.7322
Pos Y 3456373.8351
ALSO
Building ID 14
Name Leisi Primary School [no photo]
Chinese Name 私立類思小學
Address 36 RUE MONTAUBAN
Main Type Educational facility
Sub Type School
Sub Type Private
TYP04 Secular
TYP05 Primary
Pos X 355782.1623
Pos Y 3456407.8782
AND next door:
Building ID 15
Name Shenmuyuan Orphanage
Chinese Name 聖母院 - 拯亡會
Address 37 RUE MONTAUBAN
Date Construction 1871
Main Type Institutional site
Sub Type Welfare facility
Sub Type Orphanage
TYP04 Religious
TYP07 Catholic
Pos X 355854.0908
Pos Y 3456380.0639
They had the following children:
i.
William Ryse “Bill” THOMAS (~1901-)
ii.
Mary Agnes* “Tommie” THOMAS (1909-1998)
iii.
Gertrude Gladys* THOMAS (1911-1987)
iv.
Arthur Emlyn THOMAS (1915-1987)
v.
Lillian Joyce* THOMAS (1918-2006)
8. Robert William “Bob” THOMAS (Charlotte CHAMBERS2, William1). Born on 25 Apr 1873 in Leicester, England. Robert William “Bob” died in England in 1945; he was 71. Buried in Broughton Astley Cemetery, Broughton Astley, Leicestershire, England.
- 1873 BIRTH: 2 years younger than brother Ivor.
Registration: Births (Q2) Jun 1873
Thomas Robert William Leicester 7a 250
- 1906 (spring) - he was likely the "RT" who sent a Chinese art postcard from Shanghai to a cousin "Miss Alice Joyce" in Leicester (there was no personal message, just a Chinese poem).
- 1906 Marriages Dec 1906
Chambers Ethel Annie Leicester 7a 594
Evans Henry Joseph Leicester 7a 594
GUMLEY Gertrude Leicester 7a 594
THOMAS Robert William Leicester 7a 594
[a photo was taken in the garden of the Chambers’ family home in 1906 - I don’t have it]
NOTE: Robert and Ethel were 1st cousins.
- 1921 Census of Canada
Name: Robert W Thomas
Gender: Male
Marital Status: Married
Age: 48
Birth Year: abt 1873
Birth Place: England
Relation to Head of House: Head
Spouse's Name: Ethel A Thomas
Father Birth Place: England
Mother Birth Place: England
Year of Immigration: 1892
Racial or Tribal Origin: English
Province or Territory: British Columbia
District: Yale
District Number: 25
Sub-District: South Okanagan
Sub-District Number: 40
City, Town or Village: Kelowna
Street or Township: Kelowna
Municipality: Ethel St
Occupation: City Police
Income: 2100
Household Members:
Name Age - all Church of England
Robert W Thomas 48 - owns single wood house 5 or 6 rooms,head, M, M, 48, England, parents England, immig 1892, Canada, English, City Police
Ethel A Thomas 34 - wife, F, M, 34, England, parents England, immig 1912, Canada, English, none
Dorothy E Thomas 13 - daughter,F,S, 13, China, parents England, immig 1912 Nat, Canada, English, 9mo school
Reynold [Reginold] I Thomas 10 - son, M, S, 10, China, parents England, immig 1912 Nat, Canada, English, 9mo school
Arthur R Thomas 8 - son, M, S, 8, England, parents England, 1912, Canada, English, 9mo school
Next page ...
Gerald O Thomas 7 - son, M, S, 7, Kelowna BC, parents England,Canada, English, 7mo school
Violet G Thomas 5 - daughter, F, S, 5, Kelowna BC, parents England, Canada, English
Winifred J Thomas 4 - daugher, F, S, 4, Kelowna BC, parents England, Canada, English
- 1929 UK, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960
Ship: "Canada", No. 6413, Johnson Line, reg 3411, 75ton, master Oscar Lindskag, from Tacoma to Stockholm. Date of Arrival Oct 17th 1929
Embarkation, Landed, Passenger Name, Proposed UK Address, Calls, Occupation, Age, Last Permanent Residence, Intended Future Res
Tacoma, LeiSh, Thomas, Robert William, Leicester England, 2nd, Chief of Police, 56, Canada, England, B na
Tacoma, LeiSh, Thomas, Ethel Annie, Leicester England, 2nd, housewife, 45, Canada, England, B na
Tacoma, LeiSh, Thomas, Dorothy Grace, Leicester England, 2nd, none, 21, Canada, England, B na
Tacoma, LeiSh, Thomas, Reginald Ivor, Leicester England, 2nd, ban clerk, 19, Canada, England, B na
Tacoma, LeiSh, Thomas, Arthur Rhys, Leicester England, 2nd, schoolboy, 17, Canada, England, B na
Tacoma, LeiSh, Thomas, Gerald Owen, Leicester England, 2nd schoolboy, 16, Canada, England, B na
Tacoma, LeiSh, Thomas, Violet Gladys, Leicester England, 2nd, schoolgirl, 13, Canada, England, B na
Tacoma, LeiSh, Thomas, Joyce Winifred, Leicester England, 2nd schoolgirl, 9, Canada, England, B na
RESEARCH NOTES
From family sources:
- EARLY YEARS: Was orphaned when 3 years old or so.
- WORK: policeman in China, and in Kelowna, BC
- MARRIAGE: originally entered as Kelowna, BC, Canada; other sources list Leicester England (KRR)
- Robert Thomas (1873-1945)
First name: Robert
Middle name: William
Surname: Thomas
Date of birth: 25/04/1873
Year of birth: 1873
Gender: Male Year of death: 1945
Place of birth: LEICESTER Leicestershire England
Spouse name: Ethel Chambers
Place of marriage: Leicester
Date of marriage: 10/11/1906
Divorced: No
- Robert was orphaned, separated from his brother and also sent out to Canada as a 'farm child' where he had been mistreated - probably why he didn't want to talk about it. Robert then went to Shanghai, where he was a policeman, with his wife Ethel, where their eldest children, Dorothy, Reginald and Gerald, were born. ... Robert and Ethel Thomas returned to Leicestershire where their son Arthur was born and then went to Kelowna BC, around the time of the first world war, and his wife and children followed, with a female relative to help her, when he was established. [Their daughters] Winifred Joyce, and her elder sister Violet were born in Kelowna. I believe Robert Thomas was in the police there as well. He developed a Chinese style garden there but sold up (the Depression?) and returned to Leicestershire in around 1930.
- Robert and Ethel are buried in Broughton Astley cemetery - a small village where they lived in the 1940s. Ethel died in mu mother's house in Loughborough not in Southampton. She lived with her daughter Joyce in Southampton but came and stayed with my mother because Joyce was going to Canada with a Health and Beauty group - they did exercises to music.
[Broughton Astley is in the Harborough District, Leicestershire, SW of Leicester]
[Loughborough is NNW of Leicester]
- 1904 From http://www.bris.ac.uk/history/customs/ancestors/1904deskhonglist_3.pdf, on page 331 (Who’s Who of Shanghai, 1904):
Thomas, R. W. ……Municipal Police
- 1919 Shanghai directory, under Municiple Police Dept (pg. 701&2), there were 23 Constables listed but not named. - http://www.bris.ac.uk/history/customs/ancestors/1919chroniclechina.pdf
BUT he had likely already moved to Canada (via England) at this point, judging by the birth locations and dates of his children.
- no marriages in BC for Robert Thomas or Ethel Chambers between 1890 and 1910 - they married in England.
- possible death if he moved back to England:
Deaths Jun 1945
Thomas Robert W 72 Lutterworth 7a 4
The district Lutterworth spans the boundaries of the counties of Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Warwickshire
- 1873 BIRTH: 2 years younger than brother Ivor.
Registration: Births (Q2) Jun 1873
Thomas Robert William Leicester 7a 250
- 1906 (spring) - he was likely the "RT" who sent a Chinese art postcard from Shanghai to a cousin "Miss Alice Joyce" in Leicester (there was no personal message, just a Chinese poem).
- 1906 Marriages Dec 1906
Chambers Ethel Annie Leicester 7a 594
Evans Henry Joseph Leicester 7a 594
GUMLEY Gertrude Leicester 7a 594
THOMAS Robert William Leicester 7a 594
[a photo was taken in the garden of the Chambers’ family home in 1906 - I don’t have it]
NOTE: Robert and Ethel were 1st cousins.
- 1921 Census of Canada
Name: Robert W Thomas
Gender: Male
Marital Status: Married
Age: 48
Birth Year: abt 1873
Birth Place: England
Relation to Head of House: Head
Spouse's Name: Ethel A Thomas
Father Birth Place: England
Mother Birth Place: England
Year of Immigration: 1892
Racial or Tribal Origin: English
Province or Territory: British Columbia
District: Yale
District Number: 25
Sub-District: South Okanagan
Sub-District Number: 40
City, Town or Village: Kelowna
Street or Township: Kelowna
Municipality: Ethel St
Occupation: City Police
Income: 2100
Household Members:
Name Age - all Church of England
Robert W Thomas 48 - owns single wood house 5 or 6 rooms,head, M, M, 48, England, parents England, immig 1892, Canada, English, City Police
Ethel A Thomas 34 - wife, F, M, 34, England, parents England, immig 1912, Canada, English, none
Dorothy E Thomas 13 - daughter,F,S, 13, China, parents England, immig 1912 Nat, Canada, English, 9mo school
Reynold [Reginold] I Thomas 10 - son, M, S, 10, China, parents England, immig 1912 Nat, Canada, English, 9mo school
Arthur R Thomas 8 - son, M, S, 8, England, parents England, 1912, Canada, English, 9mo school
Next page ...
Gerald O Thomas 7 - son, M, S, 7, Kelowna BC, parents England,Canada, English, 7mo school
Violet G Thomas 5 - daughter, F, S, 5, Kelowna BC, parents England, Canada, English
Winifred J Thomas 4 - daugher, F, S, 4, Kelowna BC, parents England, Canada, English
- 1929 UK, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960
Ship: "Canada", No. 6413, Johnson Line, reg 3411, 75ton, master Oscar Lindskag, from Tacoma to Stockholm. Date of Arrival Oct 17th 1929
Embarkation, Landed, Passenger Name, Proposed UK Address, Calls, Occupation, Age, Last Permanent Residence, Intended Future Res
Tacoma, LeiSh, Thomas, Robert William, Leicester England, 2nd, Chief of Police, 56, Canada, England, B na
Tacoma, LeiSh, Thomas, Ethel Annie, Leicester England, 2nd, housewife, 45, Canada, England, B na
Tacoma, LeiSh, Thomas, Dorothy Grace, Leicester England, 2nd, none, 21, Canada, England, B na
Tacoma, LeiSh, Thomas, Reginald Ivor, Leicester England, 2nd, ban clerk, 19, Canada, England, B na
Tacoma, LeiSh, Thomas, Arthur Rhys, Leicester England, 2nd, schoolboy, 17, Canada, England, B na
Tacoma, LeiSh, Thomas, Gerald Owen, Leicester England, 2nd schoolboy, 16, Canada, England, B na
Tacoma, LeiSh, Thomas, Violet Gladys, Leicester England, 2nd, schoolgirl, 13, Canada, England, B na
Tacoma, LeiSh, Thomas, Joyce Winifred, Leicester England, 2nd schoolgirl, 9, Canada, England, B na
RESEARCH NOTES
From family sources:
- EARLY YEARS: Was orphaned when 3 years old or so.
- WORK: policeman in China, and in Kelowna, BC
- MARRIAGE: originally entered as Kelowna, BC, Canada; other sources list Leicester England (KRR)
- Robert Thomas (1873-1945)
First name: Robert
Middle name: William
Surname: Thomas
Date of birth: 25/04/1873
Year of birth: 1873
Gender: Male Year of death: 1945
Place of birth: LEICESTER Leicestershire England
Spouse name: Ethel Chambers
Place of marriage: Leicester
Date of marriage: 10/11/1906
Divorced: No
- Robert was orphaned, separated from his brother and also sent out to Canada as a 'farm child' where he had been mistreated - probably why he didn't want to talk about it. Robert then went to Shanghai, where he was a policeman, with his wife Ethel, where their eldest children, Dorothy, Reginald and Gerald, were born. ... Robert and Ethel Thomas returned to Leicestershire where their son Arthur was born and then went to Kelowna BC, around the time of the first world war, and his wife and children followed, with a female relative to help her, when he was established. [Their daughters] Winifred Joyce, and her elder sister Violet were born in Kelowna. I believe Robert Thomas was in the police there as well. He developed a Chinese style garden there but sold up (the Depression?) and returned to Leicestershire in around 1930.
- Robert and Ethel are buried in Broughton Astley cemetery - a small village where they lived in the 1940s. Ethel died in mu mother's house in Loughborough not in Southampton. She lived with her daughter Joyce in Southampton but came and stayed with my mother because Joyce was going to Canada with a Health and Beauty group - they did exercises to music.
[Broughton Astley is in the Harborough District, Leicestershire, SW of Leicester]
[Loughborough is NNW of Leicester]
- 1904 From http://www.bris.ac.uk/history/customs/ancestors/1904deskhonglist_3.pdf, on page 331 (Who’s Who of Shanghai, 1904):
Thomas, R. W. ……Municipal Police
- 1919 Shanghai directory, under Municiple Police Dept (pg. 701&2), there were 23 Constables listed but not named. - http://www.bris.ac.uk/history/customs/ancestors/1919chroniclechina.pdf
BUT he had likely already moved to Canada (via England) at this point, judging by the birth locations and dates of his children.
- no marriages in BC for Robert Thomas or Ethel Chambers between 1890 and 1910 - they married in England.
- possible death if he moved back to England:
Deaths Jun 1945
Thomas Robert W 72 Lutterworth 7a 4
The district Lutterworth spans the boundaries of the counties of Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Warwickshire
On 10 Nov 1906 when Robert William “Bob” was 33, he married Ethel Annie CHAMBERS (11) , daughter of William CHAMBERS (5) & Annie Mary TARRY, in Leicester Reg Dist, Leicestershire, England. Born on 27 Sep 1884 in Leicester, Leicestershire, England. Ethel Annie died in Loughborough, Leicestershire, England, on 26 May 1968; she was 83. Buried in Broughton Astley Cemetery, Broughton Astley, Leicestershire, England.
- 1884 Registration: Births Dec 1884 (Q4)
Chambers Ethel Annie Leicester 7a 276
- 1891 census, living at Ivy Cottage, Ivy Road, Whitwick Leicestershire
Name Age
James Joyce 41 - head, M, 41, Colliery Clerk, employed, Liecestershire, Leicester
Sarah Joyce 42 - wife, M, 42, Kent Deal
Minnie Kate Joyce 18 - daur, S, 18, schoolmistress, employed Northamptonshire, Raunds
next page ...
Ethel Chambers 6 - niece, 6, scholar, Leicestershire, Leicester
- 1901 England census, living at 46 Western Road, Leicester
Name Age
William Chambers 46 - head M, 46, builder, own account, Kent Ashford
Annie M Chambers 41 - wife, M, 41, Bucks Buckingham
Ethel A Chambers 16 - daur, S, 16, Leicester
Wilfred E Chambers 8 - son, 8, Leicester
Sidney J Chambers 4 - son, 4, Leicester
Living next door at 48 Western Road:
James Joyce, head, M, 51, commercial traveler, Leicester
Sarah Joyce, wife, M, 52, Kent Deal
Alice E Joyce, daur, S, 32, shop assistant - confectiones[r?], Leicester
RESEARCH NOTES
From family sources:
- BIRTH: date may not be exact.
- 1906 MARRIAGE: in 1906; apparently they were 1st cousins
- FAMILY: father was a government official
- Ethel Chambers
First name: Ethel
Middle name: Annie
Surname: Chambers
Date of birth: 27/09/1884
Year of birth: 1884
Gender: Female Year of death: 1968
Date of death: 26/05/1968 Source of data:
Place of birth: LEICESTER Leicestershire England
Place of death: Southampton [wrong - see below]
Spouse name: Robert Thomas
Place of marriage: Leicester
Date of marriage: 10/11/1906
Divorced: No
- “Ethel died in m[y] mother's house [Ethel’s daughter Violet] in Loughborough not in Southampton. She lived with her daughter Joyce in Southampton but came and stayed with my mother because Joyce was going to Canada with a Health and Beauty group - they did exercises to music.”
[Loughborough is NNW of Leicester]
- “Robert and Ethel are buried in Broughton Astley cemetery - a small village where they lived in the 1940s.”
[Broughton Astley is in the Harborough District, Leicestershire, SW of Leicester]
Probable death registration:
- 1968 freeBMD Deaths Jun 1968
Thomas Ethel A 83 Loughboro 3a 712 [b abt 1885]
The district Loughborough spans the boundaries of the counties of Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire
- 1884 Registration: Births Dec 1884 (Q4)
Chambers Ethel Annie Leicester 7a 276
- 1891 census, living at Ivy Cottage, Ivy Road, Whitwick Leicestershire
Name Age
James Joyce 41 - head, M, 41, Colliery Clerk, employed, Liecestershire, Leicester
Sarah Joyce 42 - wife, M, 42, Kent Deal
Minnie Kate Joyce 18 - daur, S, 18, schoolmistress, employed Northamptonshire, Raunds
next page ...
Ethel Chambers 6 - niece, 6, scholar, Leicestershire, Leicester
- 1901 England census, living at 46 Western Road, Leicester
Name Age
William Chambers 46 - head M, 46, builder, own account, Kent Ashford
Annie M Chambers 41 - wife, M, 41, Bucks Buckingham
Ethel A Chambers 16 - daur, S, 16, Leicester
Wilfred E Chambers 8 - son, 8, Leicester
Sidney J Chambers 4 - son, 4, Leicester
Living next door at 48 Western Road:
James Joyce, head, M, 51, commercial traveler, Leicester
Sarah Joyce, wife, M, 52, Kent Deal
Alice E Joyce, daur, S, 32, shop assistant - confectiones[r?], Leicester
RESEARCH NOTES
From family sources:
- BIRTH: date may not be exact.
- 1906 MARRIAGE: in 1906; apparently they were 1st cousins
- FAMILY: father was a government official
- Ethel Chambers
First name: Ethel
Middle name: Annie
Surname: Chambers
Date of birth: 27/09/1884
Year of birth: 1884
Gender: Female Year of death: 1968
Date of death: 26/05/1968 Source of data:
Place of birth: LEICESTER Leicestershire England
Place of death: Southampton [wrong - see below]
Spouse name: Robert Thomas
Place of marriage: Leicester
Date of marriage: 10/11/1906
Divorced: No
- “Ethel died in m[y] mother's house [Ethel’s daughter Violet] in Loughborough not in Southampton. She lived with her daughter Joyce in Southampton but came and stayed with my mother because Joyce was going to Canada with a Health and Beauty group - they did exercises to music.”
[Loughborough is NNW of Leicester]
- “Robert and Ethel are buried in Broughton Astley cemetery - a small village where they lived in the 1940s.”
[Broughton Astley is in the Harborough District, Leicestershire, SW of Leicester]
Probable death registration:
- 1968 freeBMD Deaths Jun 1968
Thomas Ethel A 83 Loughboro 3a 712 [b abt 1885]
The district Loughborough spans the boundaries of the counties of Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire
They had the following children:
i.
Dorothy Grace THOMAS (1907-1939)
ii.
Reginald Ivor THOMAS (1910-1999)
iii.
Arthur Rhys THOMAS (1912-1995)
iv.
Gerald Owen THOMAS (1913-1972)
v.
Violet Gladys THOMAS (1915-1999)
vi.
Winifred Joyce* THOMAS (1916-1995)
vii.
David THOMAS (-1920)
viii.
Robert William THOMAS (-1918)